Album Review: Police Teeth's Self-Titled LP

Police Teeth are the best kind of pissed off: pissed off, but with a sense of humor. Their fourth album, out on Latest Flame last month, is aggressive with a smirk, cynical with a shrug, with song titles like "Where's My Fucking Hug," "Bellingham Media Blackout," and "Rough Chuckles." Rough chuckles! That's pretty indicative of what you're getting yourself into here—laughing, but actually wishing you could punch someone in the face. Police Teeth are James Burns, Chris Rasmussen, and Richy Boyer—a trio that kick out heavy, modern, and tough dude rock with zero stupid. Songs address the bullshit of the world, societal observations soaked in seething punk. Police Teeth wear their influences on their sleeves, the different eras of punk/rock shining brightly through the ultra-tight and very competent tracks—Dischord-style shouts, off-beat drumming, and raw guitar licks that alternate between brutal rhythm lines and searing leads. The slower "Emmanuelle in Renton" is my favorite track (also be sure to check out the video for this song also, made by the talented Clyde Petersen) with vocals that verge on sad/sweet; it's buzzy and a little emotional. Police Teeth is the perfect soundtrack to the last leg of a middle-of-the-night road trip, the stretch when you have to roll down the windows to keep yourself alert, and you and your copilot (the only friend who's still awake) just want something to sing along to at the top of your lungs while pounding the steering wheel. More so than a cigarette and a cup of triple-caffeine gas-station coffee, this is the stuff that will jar you back to consciousness.